


the pains of confessing

by candycity



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 10:45:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candycity/pseuds/candycity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Nico tries to confess, Jason tries to help, and Percy remains completely oblivious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the pains of confessing

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on [tumblr.](http://ninetypercentsweet.tumblr.com/post/65875970825/the-pains-of-confessing)
> 
> this fic comes with fanart!! drawn by the amazingly talented remairu, take a look at it [here](http://reraimu.tumblr.com/post/123087630711/1-confirm-your-own-feelings-this-is-part-1)!!

When Percy finally breaks up with Annabeth, Nico decides that he’s waited enough.

“I mean, he is back on the market, right?” he halfheartedly tries to justify his decision to a vaguely amused son of Jupiter. “I’m not being – like – _immoral_ , or anything, right?”

Jason has to stifle a snort. “Gods, you are _such_ a 40’s kid. No, you’re not being immoral.”

There’s a moment of silence before Jason tentatively asks: “So, what’re you gonna do?”

Nico stares at him blankly. Jason sighs.

“You have no idea, do you.”

“I’m from the 1940s,” Nico protests, “we didn’t have – like - _homosexual dating_ back then, okay?”

“Or any dating at all, in your case,” Jason mutters under his breath, and says loudly before Nico can protest, “okay, the first thing you have to do…”

 

**1\. Confirm your own feelings.**

“Okay, firstly,” Jason cautions, “you have to make sure you like him.”

Nico lets out an irritated sigh. “Grace, we’ve been over this. I am not going to talk about my feelings and you are not my fucking psychologist.”

“A test, then.” The blonde shrugs, before yelling, “Oi! Jackson!”

“What?” is the yelled response from the other room. Nico grabs Jason’s shoulder.

“Exactly what are you doing?” he hisses. Jason shrugs.

“Testing you.”

Percy appears around the corner, blue sandwich in hand, and raises his eyebrows. “What is it, Grace?” he asks.

Quick as flash, Jason turns to the son of Poseidon and draws his sword – but Nico is impossibly fast, intercepting with his own sword, fending off the blade and knocking it to the ground with a quick, efficient twist before Percy can even register that the sword that, until two seconds ago, was at his neck.

“What the fuck was that?” Nico gasps. “You almost fucking killed him!”

“He did not,” Percy scoffs, before blinking. “Come to think of it…he did have a sword pointed at my neck. Wait, what in Hades was that?”

“A test,” Jason says, completely unruffled. “Congratulations, kid, you've passed.”

“What test?” Percy complains. “And why does it involve nearly killing me? Why does everything involve nearly killing me?”

“Necessary evils, Perce,” Jason explains, collected as ever even as Nico splutters incomprehensibly. “Now go jump into the ocean or something, di Angelo and I have plans to make.”

“What plans?” Percy calls as Jason drags Nico away. “When did you two become BFFs, anyway? Oi! _Grace!”_

 

**2\. Hint at your feelings, and test for reciprocation.**

“How the fuck am I supposed to do that?” Nico whines. “Percy wouldn’t catch on to a hint if it waltzed up to him smacked him in his stupid pretty face.”

“That’s why you have to strike a delicate balance,” Jason coaches. “A subtle approach that gets the message across to some extent, without being completely in black-and-white. Effective, but not obvious.”

Nico stares at him bemusedly.

“I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I,” Jason admits. Nico sighs.

“Well, I might as well get it over and done with.”

 

The conversation quickly gets awkward, at least on Nico’s part.

“So, uh – how do you like the rest of the crew, so far?” Nico asks, keeping his tone carefully casual. Percy rakes a hand through his hair and sighs.

“Well, everyone’s awesome, I guess. But I’m kind of picking up some antagonism from Jason, y’know? I’m sorry – I know you guys are like, best friends and stuff. Which is kind of weird, come to think of it.” His brow furrows slightly, and he turns to look at Nico, head cocked slightly to the side.

“Wait – you guys are only friends, right?” he asks. Nico almost chokes.

“Wha – I mean, yeah, he’s still with Piper and everything, right? I mean – are you like, against that kind of stuff..?” Nico trails off, and tenses up as Percy laughs. _Shit, if he actually is against it, I swear I’ll throw myself overboard this very second –_

“Nah, I’m cool with that. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m bi. You’re sure you’re not into him? Because I’m not going to judge you or anything – ”

“No!” Nico protests, much too quickly and defensively. Percy raises an eyebrow.

“Okaaaayy,” he says slowly – and his eyes widen with realisation. “Oh, Styx – don’t tell me **you’re** against –“

“NO,” Nico says loudly, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. _Fuck this conversation was so not a good idea._

“In fact,” he says, more quietly, “I’mkindasortaumlikegay.”

Percy blinks. “Come again?”

“I’m gay, okay?” he says, keeping his tone casual as he watches Percy carefully for any signs of disgust, revulsion, whatever –

Instead Percy’s face breaks into a smile that makes Nico’s breath catch in his throat. “Okay,” he says.

Nico’s still analysing that rather unrevealing response when Percy, in classic Seaweed Brain manner, feels the need to break the silence.

“Hey, does that mean you’re available, then?”

Nico lets out a sound that is dangerously close to a squeak, before blushing furiously and muttering strings of unintelligible nonsense before finally fleeing, much to Percy’s amusement.

 

“You think he got the hint?” Jason asks later. Nico snorts.

“Judging by the flirtations, no.”

“Well, anyway,” Jason smiles, eyes sparkling in mischief, “I’m gonna mark potential reciprocation down as an overwhelming success.”

Nico just blushes and glares.

 

**3\. Confess outright.**

Nico fidgets. “I don’t suppose there’s any way around it?”

“Nope,” Jason says with a smirk. “Oh, cheer up, this is going to be fun.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Quit taking such sadistic pleasure in my shitty excuse for a love life, Grace.”

“As if I could,” is the lighthearted response. “Now, here’s the plan – first you corner and immobilise him, and then you look him straight in the eye and just tell him.”

Nico looks doubtful. “Are you sure this is going to work? I mean, immobilising him seems a bit – extreme.”

“Trust me, man,” Jason says reassuringly. “I’m dating an Aphrodite girl. I know what I’m talking about.”

 

To Nico’s utter unsurprise, Jason did not, in any way, know what he was talking about.

He should’ve known better, really. Immobilising a person generally does not spark any romantic feelings – or any positive ones at all, actually.

Naturally, the plan goes wrong almost immediately.

“Nico, man,” Percy says nervously, “I don’t mean to offend you or anything, but could you, like – back off a bit?”

“Oh, sorry,” Nico responds automatically, and takes a few steps back. Percy rakes his hand through his hair – Nico is starting to spot a pattern with that – and smiles cautiously.

“So, uh. What did you want to talk to me about?” he asks, looking slightly more at ease now that Nico’s face isn’t two inches away from his own. The boy in question blushes slightly.

From behind Percy’s back, Jason gestures rapidly, indicating his eyes and mouthing rapidly, _eye contact, man._

Oh, right. Obediently, Nico takes a deep breath and looks Percy right in the eye, whose hand unconsciously shifts back to his hair.

“Nico…?”

Nico lets out a sharp sigh. “Fuck, this is…you see, I kind of…” He twitches slightly, and Percy’s eyebrows rise in curiosity, his hand even temporarily falling back to his side.

“What?” Percy demands, before widening his eyes in realisation. “Oh my gods, don’t tell me –”

Jason nods rapidly from over his shoulder.

“- you really _do_ have a crush on Grace.”

Jason buries his face in his hands. Captain Oblivious strikes again.

“What?” Nico asks blankly. “No!”

Percy’s eyes narrow. “Are you sure? Because –”

“Oh, fuck this,” Nico mutters under his breath, before leaning forward rather aggressively. Their lips meet, albeit with somewhat more force than intended, and it lasts for a total of six seconds before Nico finally pulls away.

“Ow,” is all Percy says, before blinking. “Wait, what was that?”

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Nico responds absently. “What do you mean what was that?” Percy tilts his head to the side, looking completely bemused.

“I thought you liked Jason –” The son of Jupiter, who had been looking ridiculously smug, immediately sighs loudly, which Percy somehow manages not to notice. Nico can’t say he blames him.

“Styx, Jackson,” Nico groans tiredly. “I like _you. You._ Not Jason Grace, fucking _hell.”_

Percy blinks, and then again. “Well, why didn’t you just say so?” He smirks at Nico, lazy and deliciously evil, and his eyes have a look in them that makes Nico gulp.

He leans in slowly, pausing barely an inch from Nico’s lips, and he can’t breathe can’t speak fuck fuck _fuck -_

“Because honestly,” he murmurs in a voice that is low and smooth as silk, “you took _much_ too long.”

Nico swallows, and then his mind goes blank because Percy fucking Jackson is _kissing_ him, and he tastes like candy and saltwater and Nico’s never felt so fucking complete.

 

“Oh, _get a room.”_

“JASON FUCKING GRACE _I SWEAR.”_


End file.
